Falcons soaring towards loftiest goal
SENIOR trainer Tim Malberg has been with the Falcons since day dot.
A stalwart volunteer over 25 years, no one has ridden the ups and downs or seen the talent that’s passed through Geelong’s doors like Malberg has.
Take his first year at the club – 1992.
The full-forward of that side – which went on to win a premiership – was a stocky kid named Adam Richardson.
Twenty-five years later, Malberg would be overseeing the likes of Richardson’s son Tom in Vic Country’s under-16 squad.
“That’s when you think, ‘Gee I am getting old’,” Malberg quipped.
The sport medico initially took on the job part-time, but never did he think he’d still be there a quarter of a century later.
“I was still tied up with Drysdale but I was giving the boys a hand of a weekend when Drysdale wasn’t playing and then I was lucky enough to get into the grand final,” Malberg said of 1992.
“In the actual grand final, because Ballarat and Geelong was combined, we had two or three boys from Drysdale. And it was a pretty good day.”
The year 2000 also provided lasting memories; the Falcons only other premiership win. “It was a special year. “It was one of those years where you had a few standouts but overall the whole squad was just really tuned in and really wanted to play,” he said.
“Everyone was up for the game and they were just talented right across the board.”
It was the year Malberg would get first glance at the likes of Luke Hodge and Jimmy Bartel, but they weren’t the only stars to pass through Geelong.
From Scott Lucas in 1994 to Jonathan Brown in 1999 and Patrick Dangerfield in 2007, Malberg has seen some of the greats of the game.
“I sort of had a soft spot for Jonathan Brown; probably Luke Hodge was a very close second,” he said.
“Numerous other players have gone on.
“Gary Ablett was a very nice sort of a kid; you could see he had that football brain about him. It just stood out that little bit more than others.
“Patrick was another one; he was a bit of a character, the boy, as he still is. I’ve got some good memories of Patty.”
But Malberg said he sees plenty of potential in this year’s squad.
“When you look at Cassidy Parish and James Worpel, and even the young ones Oscar Brownless and Sam Walsh, it’s reminiscent of the players we had back in 2000, coming through the ranks,” he said.
“It’s been 17 years since the last one; it would mean a lot. The kids have played really well this year and it would be good to see them get something out of it.
“I’m not getting too confident but I reckon we’ll have a good show.”
And whether he continues at the club next year remains a year-by-year proposition, as it has done for the past five seasons.
“The missus would love for me to give it away but I love being part of the team,” he said.
“They make you feel younger, I suppose.”